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San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets Each Considered Leaping Giants for Odell Beckham Jr.

May 9th, 2014 at 11:00 AM By Dan Benton

While the New York Giants take their early afternoon lumps for the selection of LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first-round of the 2014 NFL Draft as opposed to an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman, reports are beginning to surface about multiple teams who looked to trade up into the Top 10 for him.

Ultimately however, the price to climb from No. 30 into the Top 10 was too much, and although they really had their sights set on the wideout from LSU, they also decided to stay where they were, eventually selecting Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward.

“We certainly liked [Beckham Jr.] as a football player, no doubt about it,” Baalke said. "The price of doing business when you’re trying to move from 30 up to the top 10 or close to the top 10 becomes pretty stiff. And you’re giving up a lot of football players to go get one football player. And if you look at history, a lot of times that works against you.”

In addition to the Jets and 49ers, there have also been unconfirmed reports that the Philadelphia Eagles had toyed with the idea of trading up for Beckham Jr., hoping to fill the void left by the departure of DeSean Jackson.

All in all, it now appears as if the Giants landed one of the hottest commodities in the first-round of the draft.

22 Responses to “San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets Each Considered Leaping Giants for Odell Beckham Jr.”

If Lewan were available then I’d agree with that, but I just don’t think Zack Martin was great value when we picked. I view him more as a guard and those kind of guys can be had in the 2nd round. There are plenty of them. The difference between Zack Martin and one of the OL that will be available isn’t that far (of course Martin is better than them, but he isn’t several times better). The difference between ODB and WRs available in the 2nd is staggering. Many (such as Gil Brandt) view ODB as the #2 WR in the draft. He could definitely help us. Plus remember that he is pro-ready and can step in from day one. The fact that he’s an established route runner is EXTREMELY important with the move to a more west coast oriented offense. It’s going to be a lot of quick, timed passes. This is the kind of player that will thrive in that. I’ve seen so many comparisons for him: Randall Cobb, Greg Jennings, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, etc, etc, etc.

The guy has talent and I’m happy with him — since the other tackles were gone. I was hoping Lewan would fall to us and thought he would, but the Titans messed up those plans. I have no clue why they picked him, but oh well. I think ODB’s value was very good where we got him. He’s the kind of player that goes to the football, he doesn’t wait for it to come to him, and that is the type of player that will thrive with Eli.

Not for nothing but Greg Jennings and Randall Cobb are good players, but to compare them to Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt and Issac Bruce is almost an insult to those great WR’s.

If he’s anything like the later names i mentioned, we will win a ring with him and Eli. I wouldn’t compare him to ANY of those mentioned though. 3 of those guys are HOF’ers (Harrison, Wayne, Bruce), and the other is Borderlin (Holt).

Isaac Bruce was one of my favorite WRs of all time, so I think it’s a stretch to use that comparison, but I think the Jennings comparison is the best of the bunch. They’re similar in size, ODB may be a bit faster, but the comparisons being thrown out are the fact that ODB has great speed, route running ability, plus he fights for the ball. Those kind of traits are what separate a good WR from a great one. I hope he can get there, but if we have to “settle” for the next Greg Jennings then I’m fine with that.

Like many here, I’d have been happier had JR taken the “safe” pick, Zack Martin. But so long as he chooses in round two from among Richbourg, Bitonio, Su’a Fila, and maybe one other–which, at pick #11, will probably happen–I’m okay with Beckham. Looking at the film, I don’t think Beckham is a clone of Cruz or Randle; I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he can replace Nicks.

But what makes me uneasy is the report that surfaced in the last week or so–I searched the archives here, but can’t find it; maybe someone else knows where it is–that listed our draft board. And down at the bottom of that list is Timmy Jernigan, as yet untouched. So if nobody takes him before #11, Reese will . . . and for another year, we’ll leave the OL a sieve. That’s what I’m afraid of.

Timmy Jernigan isn’t bad, but I just don’t think he’s a great fit for us. We have other guys who could do what he does. Aaron Donald was a guy who could get into the backfield and pressure the QB for a sack, but Jernigan seems more like a poor man’s Nick Fairley to me. I wouldn’t hate it, but there are other DTs later on that could do what he does. He’s no Aaron Donald.

But as you mentioned there’s one guy I would LOVE and that is Su’a-Fila. The dude is a football player. He’s a fantastic interior lineman, very athletic, a hard worker, and a fantastic locker room guy. He’s a great player with a very high character. I’m a little surprised he didn’t go towards the end of the 1st round, but if he falls to us then there’s our replacement for Snee. I’m talking future Pro-Bowler here, that’s how fond of him I am.

fanfor55years says: May 9, 2014 at 10:56 AM Geez, I missed out on the fun last night, but I have a few comments:

1) You judge a DRAFT, not a single pick. Relax, there’s a long way to go before we can judge what Reese, Ross & Co. came out of this draft with;

2) This is a pick of an excellent prospect who fits PERFECTLY into a McAdoo offense. Look at the Packers in their best days. What did they have? Four downfield receivers whom Rodgers could target out of multiple formations (none of whom, by the way, were particularly big) so that the defense was always stressed to match up with all of them and usually left one receiver open enough for a top quarterback to make an early read and complete a relatively easy throw. ODB, Randle, Cruz, Manningham, Jernigan (plus we have Jennings who can catch the ball and will presumably have a tight end who can benefit from the kind of clear-out patterns that McAdoo also loves where the tight end or halfback is left VERY open for a safe throw to just keep moving the ball) look to me like they were designed to execute the old Green Bay offense;

3) Beckham fits the prototype of the new NFL receiver: thanks to increasing pressure on the QB (since everyone has copycatted the Giants pass rushing formula since 2007 when they saw a great pass rush beat a team they thought was unbeatable) and the need to go with quicker releases there is a HUGE premium on receivers who are true YAC threats. With the exception of Randle we’re now loaded up with those types. That’s a good thing;

4) I loved Lewan and Martin but based upon the way things went last night, whether by luck or design, the Giants are left with plenty of excellent O-line choices for rounds 2-4. I’ve always contended that they needed to come out of this draft with two O-line picks out of their first four, and I still expect that to be the case. We’ll see;

5) I would take ODB over Evans every day of the week. Evans has a chance to be a very good player but he is not that speedy off the LOS. ODB is great right out of his stance. And every time I saw LSU play it seemed that they looked to him for the big catch and he also seemed to easily find holes in the zone. He sounds intelligent, and coachable. And I really like the fact that his family is intact and his parents are both highly accomplished athletes. I’m guessing he is a stable personality with a very solid work ethic and a great sense of how much more work he needs to put in to be a “champion”. He seems to have exactly the kind of personality the Giants rightly crave.

And just as a last point, Jerry Reese simply does not miss on first round picks. Period. This will prove another good one. My guess is that by early Saturday most here will be singing Reese’s praises. I think he’s set up to have a great draft.

I couldn’t agree more about the part of ODB over Evans. I am simply not a Mike Evans fan. I’m a fan of his size, but not a fan of his receiving ability. He has the height, but he looks very stiff, similar to how Kelvin Benjamin looked at FSU. They’re rather one dimensional and just lack quickness. They aren’t like Plaxico Burress was when he was younger. Burress could actually be a vertical threat, go across the middle, and be a huge target in the redzone. Evans seems like he’ll be a great weapon inside 20 yards, but other than that I don’t think he’ll be as good as some people think. ODB (love that nickname btw) just looks more like a football player.

I absolutely LOVE Su’a-Filo, whom I’ve seen play many, many times. I think he is going to be a really top guard in the NFL. He’d be worth considering a trade up in round 2, but only if we’re talking trading up a few spots so the price isn’t too steep. We already have one guard in Schwartz who should be very good for years to come. Getting another who will be as good or better would be great, but not at the cost of our fourth pick. I’d give up a fifth pick to move up, no more than that.

I’m not sold on the need for defensive linemen tonight at all. I think the group we have for this season looks okay. I think fans are very much underrating Mike Patterson and that we have a good set of tackles. I also think Justin Tuck’s loss will be felt more in the locker room than on the field because I think his 2013 stats were inflated and Ayers can give us a rough equivalent while we should, obviously, get MUCH more from JPP and Moore than was the case last season. And Kiwi is more solid than most admit, even if he is never going to prove more than “solid”.

I wanted them to pick Martin because he looked like a natural for the O Line. I love game breakers and I hope Beckham is one. The problem with this team is that even if they get O Linemen in the next couple of rounds are they willing to play them. Also how good will Eli be in the West Coast offense. Big questions. Still need another pass rusher. This is a great time of the year everyone is a star.

If the Niners had managed to get Beckham I think we could have just handed them the Lombardi Trophy and saved our time watching the season unfold. Add him to that team and their offense would be nearly unstoppable while their defense remains very strong. The league had better hope they don’t come up with a second wide receiver who is very good or I don’t know how you defense them unless Gore runs out of steam this season.

Obviously, the above is a bit of an exaggeration, but not as much as I’d like. Unless the relationship with Harbaugh has really deteriorated, that team should be a juggernaut in 2014.

If the Niners got him he wouldn’t even have to prove great, just pretty good, and he should definitely be that. They have a wide receiver who is already emerging as one of the best in the league, the best tight end in the league, a really strong running game, a very good offensive line, and a quarterback who will be at least adequate if not better. And their defense is one of the best in the league. tell me where they’re weak? Right now it’s that they don’t really have the complementary wide receivers that would make a defense divert some of it’s focus. If they get that they should be a very tough team for anyone to beat. And Beckham would have given them that pretty quickly. Hell, if they had a healthy Manningham they might have been great this season.

You’re underestimating how good they might be in 2014. After this season the cap is going to get them, but for this season at least, they and Seattle are still the bullies in the schoolyard.

rlhjr says: May 9, 2014 at 12:07 PM Well I firmly believe that each member of an offensive line should be able to get outside and to the second level of a defense. I also believe you have a strong side (left or right) that you run behind. Who cares if the other team knows it, they have to stop it.

That said, with Pugh and Swartz a players like Jackson, Bitonio, Su’a-Filo, Yankey or Kouandjio match up well. They create a balance between power and finesse that is required. With players like that, the team might even be able to run a screen pass someday. And maybe even get a block down field from someone other than a receiver. Much less actually creating an actual hole for runners to exploit.

As Nosh alluded to yesterday, Giant running backs of the last 5 years have to deal with defensive linemen prior to making it to the line of scrimmage. *************************************************************

FF55 is dead right about Frisco and Beckham. He’s already a better route runner than any WR on their team. He most likely is the fastest straight line and out of his cuts. He would help their QB be a better player because he could trust where the kid will be on any given play.

Beckham come to the party with that skill and mind set. It takes most wide outs two seasons to get that down. Lack of discipline & control is the norm. Seattle doesn’t be SF with Beckham. But yes BBG, he does have to prove it on the field. No dout about that.

I dont know what bigbluegiant was watching, but I live in sec country and try to watch as many games as I can. I dont miss any of the big matchups…ODB is a stud and I love the pick. There’s no way this kid was a reach. Last year he was unstoppable in the SEC.

Perfect fit for the new system. Wouldnt be surprised at all if he ends up being one of the best players from this draft. Now lets go get an OL in the 2nd!

Again, i’m not saying he was a bad pick. And yes, he did play well last year. If you look a little closer his stats are inflated. He disappeared against a good defense in Auburn, played bad against a weak Florida team. Got shut down by ‘Bama ( as a WR) and had a crap game vs. Arkansas.

That said, he lit it up against Kent State, Texas Christian, Georgia, And was a barnburner vs. Furman. FURMAN.

Look, he’ll be a good player. I’m just saying that I’d like to see him play in this league before I claim he’s the next best thing.

I have no problem with this pick. WR was a need, Reese and co. drafted one. I think Cooks will be the more dynamic playmaker in the NFL. Saints did a fantastic job snagging him before he fell to Philly.